1. Forget all of the b.s about how the Japanese frown upon Americans. Yes, there are some who do, but there are Americans who frown upon the Japanese. My father is native Japanese & he married my mother, who is African American.

2. Yes, if you take the Japanese language seriously you will need kanji. It isn't so hard once you get into the swing of it. My father told me that it's best for me to learn a certain amount of kanji before really getting to the grammar. For better understanding, I think.

3. Japan is slightly smaller than California and looks like a banana (in my opinion).

4. I'm not sure, but I wonder as well.

Last edited by Sumi on Sun 08.20.2006 6:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Ashiouji wrote:once i master japanese, and i turn 20 [which is a long way from now, because i'm 14] but i might as well ask certain questions now, ne?

What is your plan for "mastering" Japanese in Washington State in the next six years? If you truly intend to "master" Japanese, you will need a plan (in addition to fierce devotion and herculean effort). Picking up things hit-n-miss on the internet isn't going to do the trick.

so i've heard that many japanese people frown upon americans that move to japan, is this true?

No, but so what if it were? Would the smallness of a few total strangers be sufficient to divert you from your goal?

also, is kanji a necessity?

One would assume that developing a strong familiarity with kanji would be part and parcel of "mastering" Japanese.

i would assume it is, but its hard to me... =\

It's infinitely harder than holding down the shift key while typing another letter at the same time. Start small.

thirdly, how big is japan? like compared to america? i know its smaller, but how much?

As already pointed out; it is roughly the size of California. I don't wish to sound overly harsh, but information like that can easily be had by looking at a globe or a world map.

lastly, when i move there, there are places i can go to give my american dollars in exchange for japanese yen right? i'm almost positive there are, but where?

Let's worry about that when you actually get here.

Last edited by Mike Cash on Mon 08.21.2006 3:16 am, edited 1 time in total.

Hmm..for the people that are being too realistic about what this particular person it saying.
It's normal for a 13,14 year old who is addicted to Japan to want to move there and not really think about how. I was like that too.
So ashioujo: I hear some the last generation of japanese don't really accept foreigners. The semi-recent generation seems to accept us.

You need a plan before you move to Japan at 20. You're not planning to go to university or anything like that?
I think you should visit before you decide anything. That's what I'm planning on doing. Sure, I think I'd like to visit it but what you see in dramas, mangas and anime is completely different from the reality of it. (I know a japanese guy..so I'm basing my opinion on what he told me)
I know for many of you it's annoying to see 14 year old wanting to move there just because they can..but just please try to be a bit more supportive, I suppose. They're most likely to change their mind in a few years.